The FUBR-1B experiment - irradiation of lithium ceramics to high burnups under large temperature gradients

Solid breeder materials used for supplying the tritium for fueling fusion power reactors will be required to withstand a variety of severe environmental conditions such as irradiation damage, thermal stresses and chemical reactions while continuing to produce tritium and not interfering with other essential components in the complex blanket region. In the FUBR-1B experiment, several solid breeder candidates are being subjected to the hostile conditions (i.e., high burnup and large temperature gradients) foreseen in a fusion reactor's blanket. Materials with high lithium atom densities, such as Li 2O, Li 8ZrO 6 and Li 4SiO 4, and with irradiation stability such as LiAlO 2 and Li 2ZrO 3, are being irradiated to high burnup levels and under large temperature gradients.